Thursday May 30th. 1805.
The rain which commenced last evening continued with little
intermission untill 11. this morning when we set out; the high
wind which accompanied the rain rendered it impracticable to
procede earlyer. more rain has now fallen than we have experienced
since the 15th. of September last. many circumstances
indicate our near approach to a country whos climate differs
considerably from that in which we have been for many
months. the air of the open country is asstonishingly dry as
well as pure. I found by several experiments that a table
spoon full of water exposed to the air in a saucer would avaporate
in 36 hours when the murcury did not stand higher than
the temperate point at the greatest heat of the day; my inkstand
so frequently becoming dry put me on this experiment. I
also observed the well seasoned case of my sextant shrunk
considerably and the joints opened. The water of the river
still continues to become clearer and notwithstanding the rain
which has fallen it is still much clearer than it was a few days
past. this day we proceded with more labour and difficulty
than we have yet experienced; in addition to the imbarrasments
of the rappid courant, riffles, & rockey point[s] which
were as bad if not worse than yesterday, the banks and sides
of the bluff were more steep than usual and were now rendered
so slippery by the late rain that the men could scarcely walk.
the chord is our only dependance for the courant is too rappid
to be resisted with the oar and the river too deep in most
places for the pole. the earth and stone also falling from these
immence high bluffs render it dangerous to pass under them.
the wind was also hard and against us. our chords broke several
times today but happily without injury to the vessels. we
had slight showers of rain through the course of the day, the
air was could and rendered more disagreeable by the rain. one
of the party ascended the river hills and reported on his return
that there was snow intermixed with the rain which fell on the
hights; he also informed us that the country was level a little
back from the river on both sides. there is now no timber on the
hills, an only a few scattering cottonwood, ash, box Alder and
willows to be seen along the river. in the course of the day
we passed several old encampment of Indians, from the apparent
dates of which we conceived that they were the several
encampments of a band of about 100 lodges who were progressing
slowly up the river; the most recent appeared to have
been evacuated about 5 weeks since. these we supposed to be
the Minetares or black foot Indians who inhabit the country
watered by the Suskashawan and who resort to the establishment
of Fort de Prarie.
[14]
no part of the Missouri from the
Minetaries to this place furnishes a perminent residence for
any nation yet there is no part of it but what exhibits appearances
of being occasionally visited by some nation on hunting
excurtions. The Minnetares of the Missoury we know extend
their excurtions on the S. (
South) side as high as the yellowstone
river; the Assinniboins still higher on the N. side most
probably as high as about Porcupine river and from thence
upwards most probably as far as the mountains by the Minetares
of Fort de Prarie and the Black Foot Indians who
inhabit the S. fork of the Suskashawan. I say the Missouri
to the Rocky mountains for I am convinced that it penetrates
those mountains for a considerable distance. Two buffaloe
killed this evening a little above our encampm
t.
Courses and Distances May 30th. 1805.
| N. 70°. W. |
1/4. |
Along the timbered bottom on the Stard. side opposite
to a high clift. |
| N. 50°. W. |
2. |
to a few trees on a Lard. point. |
| N. 60°. W. |
3/4 |
to a broken trunk of a tree on a Stard. point opposite to
a high black bluff. |
| N. 70°. W. |
1 1/4. |
On the Stard. side to a few willows. |
| N. 30°. W. |
1 1/4 |
On the Stard. side to the entrance of a run in a bend. |
| S. 55°. W. |
2 1/2 |
to a grove of trees in a bend, on Lard. side at the entrance
of a run, passing a small Island on the Stard.
side at 2 M, above which we encamped on the
Stard. side. |
| Miles |
8. |
|
